New Zealanders for Health Research (NZHR) is committed to engaging with the Te Ara Paerangi – Future Pathways Green Paper consultation process so that we play our part in ensuring best possible outcomes for health research.

If you want an opportunity to contribute to a health research sector submission on this document NZHR invites you to register here for our online workshop, Tuesday 22nd February 1.00 – 3.00 pm.

Register here

In order to give structure to the workshop NZHR will produce a discussion paper which will be advanced to participants a few days beforehand and which will address the following issues:

• Static government investment in health R&D
• Health research commercialisation including falling start-up investment in 
• pharmaceuticals, biotechnology & life sciences 
• Falling relative quality of health and medical research
• Pathways to and measuring the impact of health research on people and 
• organisations, including health system knowledge transfer and translation 
• Undertaking health research through a te ao Māori lens, noting the static number of 
• crown research institute and university Māori and Pasifika health and medical 
• scientists domestically 
• Interface with the government’s existing Health Research Strategy 
• Other issues identified by stakeholders prior to the workshop

Many of these issues have already been at least partly identified in MBIE’s Te Pūrongo Rangahau Pūtaiao Me Te Auahatanga, The Research, Science and Innovation Report 2021, and NZHR will draw from this report in the development of its discussion paper. We will also see if cues can be taken from health research organisations’ submissions on MBIE’s original draft RSI strategy, available here.

The discussion paper will seek to draw explicit links between these issues and the content of the Green Paper itself, including a schema for national research priorities, embedding Te Tiriti in the research system, and the design and structure of the funding system and research institutions.

Representatives from MBIE and the Health Research Council will be in attendance and have been invited to contribute as appropriate.